Ruthe Karlin

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40 Days of Moving: Day 8

When I arrived Ed was busy removing the so-called built-in desk in the small bedroom. This was another one of those truly appalling do-it-yourself jobs. The desk was sitting on a piece of green shag carpeting. The wall behind it had evidence of grasscloth wallpaper. Maybe I’m too much of a purist, but I would never leave such a mess under anything I did. It would bother me almost as much as that green color inside the kitchen cabinets.

The worst was what was done with electricity. Most of the walls in the building are concrete or very thick plaster. This is good, but little or no thought was wasted on providing electricity. The seller assured me he had added outlets and I wouldn’t have any problems. Too bad there isn’t some way to charge him with building code violations. Ed will be able to fix much of this and make me happier. After all, it’s only money, right?

We didn’t do any work in the bathroom, but I finally took pictures. Here is the wallpaper that will be removed. Perry is coming on Monday to begin wallpaper removal and then painting. I’m planning to make the wall and ceiling a warm white. I’m also planning to make the small bedroom the same warm white, since that is where I will work. I don’t want a color reflected on my computer monitor or on the papers I use for my books.

More pictures of the bathroom: You can see the blue in the corner of the tub. It looks like a soap stain but it’s really the beige color peeling off. Note the grab bars. I’m very pleased to have them.

The new light bar over the medicine chest made a big difference. The original extended over almost the entire wall and had a florescent bulb. I like this much better. The next question is do I replace the medicine chest. It has some barely noticeable rust spots. There is no end to the things I could replace.

Another really good thing is the height of the toilet. I can stand up without having my knees sending me agony messages.

2 thoughts on “40 Days of Moving: Day 8”

Yes, jury rigged and half assed. Thanks Alice. What a mess. I agree with Alice. The three of us need to get together. 🙂

Yes, take down the wallpaper and make everything white. You can change it later when you get bored. Remember, I’m the fool who painted a bathroom orange. Yes, like the sink too. The grab bars are a bonus. I need to put those in by my tub too.

I admire your restraint in referring to the do-it-yourself remodeling efforts of the previous owners as appalling. Excuse my crudeness, but I would have said half-assed. One part of my own family (mother) tried to teach me that if it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right! The other half was renowned for his ability to fix almost anything with chicken- or balewire. Thus I gained the respect for one and the ability of the other. As long as you have the money, it’s good you’re doing things right. You’ll appreciate and feel good about it in the long run.